It was still called an all candidates forum at Williams Lake TRU campus Thursday night despite one Cariboo-Prince George hopeful-Conservative hopeful Todd Doherty not in attendance.
Richard Jaques with the Green Party says if one wants to represent a constituency they should have the decency to show up.
“He’s from Williams Lake and that’s the sad part and I heard that reverberate around this room for the last 2 hours where is he? it’s like where’s Waldo. You know this guy is just completely absent from all of our debates and I’m really disappointed.”
Despite Doherty’s absence, the forum was well attended.
21-year-old Adam Kral asked what the candidates will do when it comes to getting youth involved.
Liberal Candidate Tracy Calogheros says you hear a lot of talk of youth being apathetic.
“I spent a couple of hours on a seminar Twitter chat, they are not apathetic-they are very engaged and very involved but they don’t define themselves and their communication in the same way my parents generation did, so if we want to engage youth we need to be in the places where they are and that’s a digital world, it’s online.”
Calogheros says youth are more than happy to tell you how to reach them, politicians just have to be willing to listen and learn.
Adam De Kroon with the Christian Heritage Party says youth, in general, are disillusioned with our system and they don’t see that can work for them.
“At the end of the day every vote counts, so I would just encourage all young people to get out and vote-research the options, research what they support, do they support what you’re looking for and then get out and vote.”
NDP Candidate Trent Derrick encouraged youth to come into one of his campaign offices in Prince George, Quesnel, and Williams Lake, to volunteer and said proportional representation plays an important role.
Independent Sheldon Clare says the election serves as an opportunity for youth to engage with their friends and added that it is important to vote with your mind, not heart.
Kral says he will definitely be voting although he admits it is a tough question to ask.
“It really comes down just to society in general and everyone kind of needs to get together and come to a consensus and show that voting is an important thing everyone should be doing. It kind of comes to everyone in the community to make that happen.”
The forum which wrapped at 9 pm, had candidates spend 3 minutes each answering questions from the public including what they would do to support the CBC, seniors, as well as climate change and Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women and proportional representation.
Another forum is scheduled to take place in the Lake City on October 15th.